Nannies are paid care givers. In Nigeria, nannies are employed by working mums or busy mums who need someone to assist them with their newborn or toddler. Little or no cognizance is given to crucial issues of who the nanny is before they are employed.Most parents forget their responsibilities and assume that their nannies should take full responsibilities of their child. Some other parents do not forget, instead, they treat their nannies like they are beggars at their mercy for livelihood. That is why they employ anybody as a nanny without a training or knowledge of some basic things.
Why become a Nanny?
Because of the rate of poverty in Nigeria, a vast majority of women have taken up the responsibility of a bread winner. They look for different jobs to do, things they can sell and skills they can learn that will bring money to them. Amongst these list is the role of a nanny. Nannies in Africa need no special training or special education to become a nanny unlike in the developed country. Being a nanny sometimes can be frustrating and challenging to women who have decided to take this as a job just for ends meet. However, as parents or a mother especially, we need to know that we are the best care giver for our child and having a nanny does not mean she is the mother of your child, except if we think otherwise that there is someone better than you, for our children than we as parents.
Before taking the decision in selecting a Nanny, there are questions to ask and things to know. You can check out our previous posts on Nanny to get a comprehensive list on questions to ask a nanny before you employ them. Here are few:
Who is your nanny?What are her beliefs, values and habits?What is her level of education?What language does she speak and is she fluent with her English language?What training does she require to influence your child with what you want?When you have made a choice based on the information you have, you can then have a conversation with her and be clear on issues that bother on your nanny.Asides from all of these, there are issues or things that you should be clear about likeWhen does she need a break?Her specific job roles and what you expect from her.
As you leave your child with your nanny on a daily basis, there are things you should not forget.• Your nanny is not you and can’t take full responsibility as a mother. A few calls once in a while at work can encourage her.• Your nanny needs a break at intervals to be able to work well.• Your nanny is your child’s care giver and she should be treated well and respected.• Your child easily gets influenced by your nanny